Vehicle-body.



PATENTED SEPT. l, 1903.

A 7 8 1 7 8 7 m N N0 MODEL.

UNlTED STATES iatented September l, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

VEHICLE-BODY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,887, dated September 1, 1903.

Application filed January 19, 1903. Serial No. 139,522. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that LALPHA O.VERY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented n ew and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Bodies, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of vehicle-bodies, and relates particularly to the bodies of selfpropelled vehicles of that type which are provided with a front seat which is normally concealed, the body portions which cover the seat opening outwardly to constitute a footboard and a back-rest. Heretofore it has been the practice to provide these outwardly-opening portions of the vehicle-body with retaining straps or chains whereby the footboard and the backrest may be supported in their proper positions, said straps or chains being folded in when the body portions are closed to conceal the seat.

The object of this invention is to provide fixed abutinents for the support of these body portions, (that is, the footboard and the backrest,) so arranged that they may not only serve for this purpose,but they may serve other purposes as well, which will be more fully described farther on.

Having these ends in view, the invention consists in securing to the front of the vehicle a metal rack or frame, the upper portion of which is so constructed as to constitute guards for each side of the seat and the lower portion of which, extending forwardly of the body, may constitute similar guards-for the sides of the footboard. Theseupperandlower portions being united by transversely-located bars, the whole constitutes a rigid frame whereby the footboard and back-rest may not only be better supported, but also constituting an ornamental feature of the body construction.

In the drawings forming part of this application, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle-body having my improvement applied thereto, a part of the body being broken away. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the forward end of the body, showing the seat-covering portions thereof in open position.

Referring now to the drawings, a may indicate the vehiele-body, having a box-like structure Z) at the forward end thereof, in which a front seat is carried. The portions 0 and d at this end of the body are hinged to open outwardly to the positions shown in Fig. 2, whereby 0 may constitute a footboard, and cl a back for the seat. Ileretofore the parts 0 and d have been supplied with stays made of leather or chain or some other flexible connection to sustain them in their opened position and which when the parts are closed are folded inward out of the way. It not infrequently happens, however, that in closing the front one of these stays is caught between the edge of the boxing and one of the parts 0 or (1, whereby the latter is sprung out of line or in jured, and, furthermore, if one of these stays of the part d be inadr ertently grasped in mounting the front seat the part will be pulled down, and if the hand be not caught between it and the edge of the body the stay certainly will be to the injury of the body. Again, these stays constitute no support for the arms of persons riding on the front seat. To obviate these various defects and to provide rigid supports for the back of the seat and the footboard, I apply to the boxing b a frame made of metal, preferably of round metal bars, consisting of the side portions, which are secured rigidly to the body about in the plane of the sides of the latter, which side portions are united at the upper and lower extremities thereof by suitably-disposed trans verse bars. The upper ends of these side frames are indicated by c and are secured to the boxing, as at f, and from the latter point curve upwardly and forwardly and thence downwardly to constitute arm-rests for the sides of the seat and to also constitute supports whereby the bar 9 may be held at a proper height to sustain the back (Z of the seat when it is in an open position, as shown in Fig. 2. These side portions of the frame are also secured to the boxing at h to properly support them when lateral pressure is applied thereto, as when they areused as a grip in mounting, and of course this point of attachment h may vary with the varying contour of the boxing. From this point the sides of the frame sweep downwardly and outwardly, as shown, to a point sufficiently in advance of the front end of the body to aiford a proper support for the footboard when the latter is swung outward, as shown in Fig. 2. At the extreme forward end of these side portions, which support the footboard and are lettered 1', another transverse bar j unites the ends of these parts, and horizontal brace-bars 10 extend back to some point on the body, preferably underneath, where they may be secured by screws or bolts, as at 'm. Preferably in theconstructionof this metal frame the various members thereof at their points of union are welded together, although they may be otherwise secured together, if more convenient. There is a further advantage attained by this construction other than affording proper support for the back and the footboard in that when the front seat is inclosed the bar 9 and the curved upper portions 6 of the frame constitute a strong metal rack on which articles may be secured or hung, and, furthermore, the lower part of the frame constitutes a most effective rack for holding a trunk or hand-baggage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A vehicle-body comprising a casing at one end thereof to inclose a seat, portions of the casing opening outwardly; supports for said opening portions consisting of a frame secured to said casing in a position to support said portions in open position.

2. A vehicle-body comprising a casing at the forward end thereof to inclose a seat, portions of the casing opening outwardly and constituting a footboard and a seat-back, in combination with a rigid frame to support said casing portions in open position.

3. The combination with a vehicle-bod comprising a casing at one end thereof to inclose a seat, portions of said casing opening outwardly, of a frame consisting of two side portions secured to the sides of the casing and extending away from the latter at either end thereof, and cross-bars extending between said side portions to support said opening portions of the casing.

ALPHA O. VERY.

WVitnesses:

MAY J. BALL, H. A. GRIFFIN. 

